YOU could be forgiven for not realising that the picture below is of one-time Hollywood pin-up Richard Gere.

With his uncharacteristically wild grey hair, sunglasses and flamboyant silk scarf he looked a little bit more like Scottish comic Billy Connolly.

But Gere’s eccentric dress code had nothing to do with the Big Yin.

He was spotted in full costume on the set of his latest film, Franny.

The film sees him performing alongside Dakota Fanning and Theo James as a philanthropic, hedonistic man who meets a young couple of newlyweds and goes about ingratiating himself into their lives. The indie film is a long way from 64-year-old Gere’s heady early days in American Gigolo and An Officer And A Gentleman

The Hollywood pin-up's 11 year marriage to Carey Lowell ended last month [AFP/GETTY]

Gere filming on the set of Franny in Philadelphia [SPLASH]

With that long wavy grey hair, beard and grin, he looked amazingly like Billy Connolly

An observer

One observer who spotted the star on the set in Philadelphia said: “He was almost unrecognisable.

“With that long wavy grey hair, beard and grin, he looked amazingly like Billy Connolly.”

Filming began this week but will come as a welcome distraction for Gere, who split last month from his wife of 11 years, Carey Lowell.

It's easy to see how Gere could be confused with the eccentric Scottish comedian [GETTY]